Best Friend Etiquette
by WritingFuelsTheSoul
Summary: Danica Monroe had always preferred a relaxed life. But with the coming of her seventh year at Hogwarts also comes trials that she's never had to face before. Drama with friends. Way too much school work. And she starts dating Sirius Black! But is she falling for his best friend? And what happens when James Potter asks her to help him finally get the attention of Lily Evans?
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1:**

* * *

 _Isn't it funny how day by day nothing changes, but when you look back everything is different? ~C.S. Lewis_

* * *

"My little girl! Oh, she's all grown up!"

"Mum!" Dani groaned. "I have to go! Look! Serena is waiting for me!" With an obvious eye roll, the seventh year pried her sobbing mother off of her and kissed her father on the cheek. Within the past seven years, Danica Monroe had really grown. The shy, bookish child had transformed over the years into somewhat of a social butterfly. Although she remained as bookish as ever, she had outgrown her shy nature to become one of the most outgoing students in her year.

"Goodbye!" She called lightly, her ringing voice cutting through the white noise of the train station. Dani waved one last time before turning toward the Hogwarts Express. _This is it._ She thought. _Seven years starting now._ That's when she spotted Serena waiting for her by the train. She smiled to herself as she hauled her luggage toward the train.

Serena Thompson was perhaps the most outgoing of all of Dani's friends. She was also Dani's best friend, the two of them having met through family years before they'd even gone to school together. Serena had brought Dani out of her shell that had always seemed so impossible to break, despite their being nearly exact opposites when they had first met:

Serena Thompson. The angelically beautiful girl that everyone, no matter who they were, seemed to just adore. She was long and lean with beautiful olive skin; her dark hair fell in natural waves around her shoulders as if she'd spent hours getting it to look that way. A truly gracious smile was always playing on her lips and her eyes seemed always a shining sky blue. She could get along with anyone. It was clear that Serena had a way with conversation the way Danica had a way with writing.

"So..." Serena hummed as they hopped onto the train. Danica admired the familiar sounds and sights around her. The train was filled with the warm sounds of her classmates' chatter and the steam engine beginning to take off. Slowly, a smile made its way to her lips. This year would be different; she could just tell. She would try something new. Make some new friends, not that she would ever leave Serena's side. They'd had a bond stronger than anything; nothing could come between that. Nonetheless, something in the air was so inviting about this year.

Dani, with a flip of her curly golden hair, turned back to Serena, who was rolling her eyes. "Danica Monroe..." Serena sang with a smirk, something that Serena had always done whenever Dani managed to tune out (which was quite often really).

Drawing back into reality, Dani shoved Serena lightly. Her nose crinkled upon hearing her full name. "What?" Dani questioned, giving her friend her full attention now.

Serena smirked and pointed behind over Dani's shoulder. The young witch turned around just in time to see Sirius smirk before he scooped her up into a spine crushing bear hug. Danica shrieked, despite her laughter ringing through the train car, "SIRIUS!" Despite her tall height, Sirius still had a few inches on her and about fifty more pounds in muscle, so it could be assumed that's what made it so easy to pull her into a spine crushing bear hug and spin her around. "Put me down! Put me down! I'm going to be sick!" Dani exclaimed.

Sirius laughed and set her down, tugging on one of Dani's curly blonde locks. She scoffed lightly and smirked at her friend. "Where's your gang?" she asked with a cock of her eyebrow, leaning against the glass window of the train car. Now, Dani wasn't particularly close to any of the so-called "Marauders," except for Sirius whom she hadn't even met until her fourth year. She'd been roped into tutoring him in Care of Magical Creatures that year, and ever since then, they'd remained as close of friends as ever.

Sirius leaned against the wall opposite the two Gryffindor girls. He rolled his eyes; however, his expression remained more gleeful than annoyed. "James is trying to talk to Lily, again," Sirius shrugged as he crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm getting rather bored of it. So I thought I'd leave and come annoy my favorite person." He picked at his nail casually before sending Dani and Serena a sly smirk.

Dani chuckled at the idea of that conversation going down. Lily was another one of her close friends; although Lily and Marlene were closer than either were with Serena or her. But nonetheless, the four girls were close friends; and Danica had always enjoyed Lily's bookish nature which she had so often related to. Although the two of them had fought more than most friends ought to, but Dani had come to assume that friends fought and that's how life works. Although, it could get rather annoying at times.

"Well, Miss Priss," Sirius started with a smirk. Dani sent him a playful glare; she hated it when he called her that. However, Sirius only grinned and slung an arm around her, "Alright, _Dani."_

Serena cleared her throat, catching the attention of Dani and Sirius alike. She rolled her eyes at them before declaring, "Okay, well, I'm going to find Lily and Marlene. Come sit with us later, yeah?" She was smirking in an ever-Serena-looking kind of way. You know the way that makes you feel like she knows everything that you're up to, even if you aren't up to something at all. But Dani had grown used to Serena's ways a long time ago.

Dani nodded her head with a grin and waved goodbye.

"So," Sirius began after Serena sauntered off to find the rest of her friends. "What'd you do over summer?"

"Well," Dani started as they walked side-by-side down the hallway of the train cars. Sirius's arm was still slung over her shoulder holding her to his side; in return, Dani snaked her arm around his waist. "If you mean what I _read_ over this summer." With her free arm, she slid an old worn book out of her book bag. "To Kill a Mockingbird. Harper Lee. It was one of my favorites of the summer," she added. Sirius took the book from Dani's hand and, giving her a sideways grin, opened it up to the first page.

This was one of the two's traditions. Sirius had become increasingly interested in muggle books and music, and Dani (being the half-blood witch that she was) would readily supply her favorite recommendations. She had shown him many of her favorite novels and plays: The Odyssey, The Picture of Dorian Gray, even Romeo and Juliet (which wasn't really one of her favorites, she just thought it would be funny to see Sirius reading it). Currently, however, she was working on Pride and Prejudice; one of the classics that her Mum gave her just before leaving the house this morning.

As the two of them fell quiet, Dani glanced up at Sirius, who seemed to be endeavored in reading the summary on the back of the novel. His jaw was slack the way in always was when reading, his lips parted and moving ever-so-slightly to the words he read. Long black eyelashes fluttered slightly as his gray eyes scanned the book cover. Danica smiled to herself; she had always enjoyed the sight of showing someone one of her favorite novels.

She raked her hands through her hair and leaned against the window of the car they were in. Sirius did the same, still holding the book in his long-fingered hand.

"So, was it good?" he asked eventually.

Dani paused before answering, taking in the allure of his voice. His natural fascination that seemed to be a rarity in itself (at least to her peers), but as close as she was to him, it was as common as the sun rising every morning. The sunlight through the window (an oddity for this time of year) warmed their backs through the smooth window pane. Dani couldn't help but notice the thin fabric of her button up rubbing against his shoulder. Smiling now, she nodded. "Very," she replied. "But I won't tell you anything more; you'll need to read it yourself." Smirking, Dani smacked him in the chest and walked off to find the girls.

"Where are you going?" Sirius called after her, wanting to spend at least a little more time alone with her before going off to find his friends.

Turning over her shoulder, the witch added, "I'll give you those records later!"

* * *

"Knock, knock," Dani greeted as she entered the compartment. Lily and Marlene grinned as she plopped down and flung an arm around Serena.

"Hey, pretty thing! Glad you finally decided to join us," Marlene grinned. She ran a manicured hand through her blonde hair and asked, "Where were you anyway?"

Dani shrugged, leaning back in her seat. "With Sirius," she returned casually. "I had to give him this summer's favorite novel."

Lily's green eyes sparkled with curiosity. "Which book?" she questioned excitedly.

"To Kill a Mockingbird."

"Merlin, I love that book... You know," Lily started with a smirk. "You just missed your friend James." Lily rolled her eyes and added dryly, "He asked me out again."

Dani rolled my eyes, feeling that she should have grown used to Lily's "James" comments. Honestly, it had been _years_ of this, but Dani was still bored by it, and might I add just a little bit bitter about Lily always associating her with James just because of Sirius. "I'm not friends with James; we barely know each other. I'm friends with Sirius," Dani returned, almost mechanically. She sighed, "Anyway, how'd that go?"

Lily shrugged in response, flipping her vibrant red hair. "Annoying. As per usual." She raised an eyebrow and glanced out the window. The sunlight lit up her face, illuminated even the smallest of freckles on her button nose. It was no surprise why James Potter was so enamored with her. Lily Evans was comparable to Aphrodite with the brains of Athena.

"But what a hunk," Marlene added dreamily. The girl sighed and leaned back. "If I were you, Lily, I'd already have fallen for Potter. Hell, I'm head over heels for him now. And that Sirius Black! Don't even get me started!" She grinned cheekily and turned to look at Lily's face, awaiting the annoyed glare. That was the thing Danica loved about Marlene, she could easily tease anyone and get away with it. She was an equally amount of charming and annoying.

Lily's nose scrunched up in disgust. "You can have _Potter,_ " Lily replied. "He's a complete jerk anyway." Lily's eyes met Danica's and they shared a moment of understanding. Dani knew the exact reason why Lily hated James so much. The day that James embarrassed Severus in front of the whole school. And by the time Lily came to his rescue; Severus had called her something so unforgivable that not even Lily could forget. If Dani hadn't been with her when it happened, Lily might not have told anyone.

"Anyway," Lily began, a smirk forming on her pink lips, "Don't know about Sirius; he might be taken by a _special someone_." Lily grinned and raised her eyebrows at Dani.

"No," Dani spoke sternly, however all of the girls were peering at her with suggestive looks and wide grins. She shook her head. "I am not dating Sirius. No. No. Nononono."

Serena smirked knowingly. "Well, of course you aren't. Not yet at least. But the way you two look at each other..."

Dani stared at her friend in bewilderment. "That's ridiculous! I don't like Sirius like that!"

Marlene leaned forward with a giddy smile on her face, "And the way that he's always smiling with you and teasing you! He's always touching you in some kind of way!"

Danica stared in horror at her friends. The way that they talked about her friend. Her guy friend. _Just_ a friend. "He does that with every girl!" Dani exclaimed. Honestly, he did. Sirius Black was Hogwart's flirt. #1. Hell, he could charm his way out of detention with half the teachers in the school if he wanted to. Not to mention into just about any girl's pants. And that's why Dani never had a long term relationship. Because she didn't want to be treated the way that Sirius described other girls. She'd overheard him, on multiple occasions, talking to his friends about different girls he'd been with. To be honest, he was a true pig. But he never treated Dani that way. _Because we're friends._ She thought to herself.

Lily grinned, "You two are always so close. And he always picks you up and spins you around. It's really cute."

Dani could feel her face growing warmer by the second. Her porcelain skin turning blotchy and pink. She grumbled to herself before attempting to change the subject. "Well..." she began softly. "Why don't you just give James a shot this year? I mean, really. He could have matured... over summer...?"

There was a pause. All of the girls fell silent for a split second. Danica tried to keep a straight face as she stared at Lily, but she could feel her face muscles twitching. Unable to hold it in, she snorted. In response, all of the girls' laughter filled up the compartment. Serena was wheezing and struggling not to drip nail polish on the compartment seats. Marlene had keeled over, having choked on her pumpkin juice; but her shoulders were shaking with mirth. Lily was laughing and gasping "James-" "Potter-" "Mature?" in between bursts of laughter. And Dani was leaning back in her seat, her head thrown back in laughter, eyes squeezed shut.

The idea of James Potter maturing in the slightest was ridiculous enough but over a summer? Impossible. The four girls eventually calmed down enough to speak that's when Lily brightened up and exclaimed, "OH! I forgot to tell you!"

Danica jumped and looked at Lily inquisitively, her cognac-colored eyes widened. "What? What is it?"

"I'm Head Girl!" Lily declared excitedly. Her emerald eyes were sparkling. "And now Marlene is our seventh-year prefect!"

Danica grinned. "Well, I can't say I'm surprised. You had it in the bag. And Marlene are you sure you're ready to take over prefect's duties?" She grinned at her blonde friend. Marlene had always been known for her mischievous ways, sneaking out of the common room in the middle of the night, getting back at Sirius for pranking the girls by dyeing his hair green, sneaking into the kitchens to get cookies and fire whiskey from the elves.

Marlene shrugged, "At least now I'll have an excuse when I sneak out. 'I'm patrolling tonight, Professor McGonagall.'" She grinned, a mischievous twinkle in her eye.

Lily sent her a disapproving look. However, the only thing she replied with was, "Just don't bring any flings into the Prefects' bathroom, please."

Marlene rolled her eyes, "Yeah right," she muttered sarcastically. "I'm totally the type to have weekend flings."

Danica snorted. But before any of the girls could say another word there was a loud knock on the compartment door before it slid open. And of course, there stood James Potter and his crew. Dani turned toward Lily with a grin awaiting the " _Potter_ " or the "get lost."

" _What_ do you want now, Potter?" Lily questioned, her eyes ablaze and her lips pursed tight. Danica looked back over at the messy haired best friend of Sirius Black. Over the course of her Hogwarts career, Danica had grown to milk every second of the "James and Lily encounter." Whether Lily wanted to admit it or not, James had a quick mind and a smart mouth (which made the two's arguments that much more entertaining).

Danica, as she watched the scene before her with interest, couldn't help but come to a few conclusions. James Potter, however often Lily denied the claim, was extremely handsome. He was tall and lean and built up a good amount of muscle from quidditch. His eyes were hazel at first glance; but when someone as observant as Dani stared into them, she could see the blue rimming his pupil. The blue seemed even brighter against James's black hair that always seemed to be in a perpetual state of disarray. Despite this, it never gave the boy a look of messiness but rather a reckless and shall I say "sexy" appeal. However, Lily would never admit this, however many times the girls tried to get her to.

James smirked slightly, his squared glasses sitting low on his long nose. "I was told that I needed to get you. There's a meeting for prefects and head students at the front of the train."

Slowly, Dani made eye contact with Sirius who was standing beside James. Sirius's pale gray eyes connected with hers and he grinned at her. A grin, Danica knew from personal experience, that meant something was going to happen. The girl's pale brows furrowed as she mouthed to her friend, "What do you mean?"

Meanwhile, Lily was still glaring at James. "And how would you know about the meeting?" she asked dryly.

That's when it clicked in her head. Danica's eyes widened and she snorted with laughter, even before James replied. Sirius' lips split into a wide grin as he watched Dani finally get what was happening.

"Because I'm Head Boy."

* * *

 **Hey, you guys! I actually really liked this story, but I wanted to change the point of view to 3rd person so I had to start over, lol. I hope you enjoyed the chapter, though. If you did please tell me. Have a lovely day! :) Also I'm looking for poetry recommendations so if you have any favorite poets or poems it would be super cool if you shared them with me in a pm or a review. :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2:**

* * *

 _The most wasted of all days is one without laughter. ~E.E. Cummings_

* * *

The horror evident on Lily Evans's face was nothing more than priceless as Danica watched the scene go down before her. In fact it had been one of the funniest things that Dani had ever seen. Lily Evans... stuttering. Her face was nearly as red as her hair. It was enough to make Danica laugh until she cried. But soon enough Lily had composed herself and went off toward the front of the train with Marlene, giving a curt nod to Remus (the other seventh year prefect) and completely ignoring the presence of James Potter. Sirius and Peter had decided to stay with Serena and Dani, and between the four of them the remainder of the train ride seemed to pass by in the blink of an eye.

Before she knew it, Dani had been hauled off the train by Sirius, whose only explanation was, "Come with me."

Danica sent an apologetic smile to Serena before Sirius grabbed her hand and pulled her onto the train platform. But Serena only grinned to herself, imagining how cute the two would look together, before she went off to find Lily and Marlene.

"Sirius, where are we going?" Dani questioned when they had reached the platform. The night air was refreshing, stinging the tip of her nose and turning her cheeks pink. This was always her favorite part of coming back to Hogwarts. The first night. The night sky was clear and beautiful, a deep navy shade illuminated by millions of stars. She smiled at the crescent moon that illuminated the night sky.

Sirius stopped in his tracks, smirking slightly. "I wanted to be the first out on the platform. Oh shit."

"What?"

"We left Peter on the train."

Dani laughed. Sirius had always been a bit reckless, forgetting things and people when he wanted to do something. She had always found that entertaining when she spent time with him.

Rather than going off and finding him however, Sirius turned toward the view of the castle. He ran a hand through his long wavy hair. Danica chuckled shaking her head.

"Merlin's pants you guys!"

Danica spun around to find Peter panting heavily and kneeled over. He looked up his sky blue eyes were surrounded by a sweaty, pale face. He heaved a great breath and declared, "I'm not as fit as you two, for Godric's sake. Do I look like I can run fast Sirius? Do I really?"

"Sorry, mate," Sirius grinned. "Forgot."

Dani laughed to herself, admiring the conversation between the two friends. She had never actually been around Sirius with his friends. Whenever they had spent time together, Sirius and Dani had always been alone. She hadn't even properly met Peter. Of course she'd met James Potter, he'd always been outgoing. And she'd been Charms partners with Remus just last year. But Peter Pettigrew had always been rather quiet and shy, at least around strangers, so of course she hadn't spent a lot of time with him.

"Well," Sirius grinned at Danica and swung an arm around her shoulders, "I think it's time that you meet my friends, Dani."

The witch let out an incredulous laugh and raised her eyebrows. "Sirius, I've gone to school with them for seven years."

* * *

Dani hopped onto the carriage at the last second before it began picking up speed. "Glad you could join us, Judy," Sirius smirked as he helped the up onto the bench next to him. She smiled as he slung an arm around her shoulders. She looked around at the group of boys on the carriage. Sirius, Remus, James, and Peter. She'd gone through seven years of school in the same house as them and yet she really only _knew_ Sirius. She was aware that Remus was an O student and, most likely, the brains behind every scheme. James was exceptionally charming and very good in Defensive Against the Dark Arts class (Dani remembered that vividly from last year, as he had beat out Lily for the top spot in the class). Peter was quiet, but from her recent experiences with him he was quite sarcastic (a trait that made her laugh whenever he opened his mouth). As for Sirius, Dani _knew_ that he was extremely intelligent; he just didn't like to show it. Hiding behind that facade that had formed however many years ago; Danica just didn't know _why_ he was hiding it.

"Are you two dating or something?"

Choked on, well nothing really. Surprise maybe? But nonetheless, the girl looked in surprise to the source of the voice and found Peter, watching Sirius and herself inquisitively. Peter's eyes were round and wide and undoubtedly curious. That just made the situation even more embarrassing in Dani's eyes. He wasn't even joking or teasing; it was complete and utter curiosity. She could feel her face heating up, which really couldn't be helped what with her pale features. Dani shook her head quickly, looking at Sirius who seemed to be laughing.

He was actually laughing. Dani was incredulous. Again she shook her head, perhaps a little too quickly. "No of course not!" she blurted.

The whole carriage seemed to go quiet.

"I- I mean..." She laughed quietly, running a long-fingered hand up to massage her neck. "We're just friends."

Sirius laughed as well, although it wasn't as real as it was before. But it seemed that only Dani could pick up on that. "Yeah, just friends. I wouldn't dream of ever going after, Dani." He nudged her in the arm playfully, making her feel just a little better.

James, however, cocked an eyebrow and looked at Sirius inquisitively. "And why might that be, Sirius?"

Dani tensed up, expecting only the worst from this conversation to be. She could feel an awkwardness in the air and it made her skin crawl. Just like that, her peace of mind went out the window.

Sirius stopped and looked at James, still holding a slight grin on his face. However his voice proved to be legitimately curious: "What do you mean?"

Remus snorted, causing Dani to stop and looked over at him. The boy ran a pale fingered hand through his curly tuft of sandy hair. He was chuckling lowly, softly. Without realizing it, a small smile spread onto Dani's lips. His green eyes finally met her, and she could find amusement clear and readable. She cringed to herself as her face pinked. What made it positively worse was when he shook his head at her and smirked. That made her ears red.

Attempting to hide her embarrassment, Dani turned toward James. Little did she know, that was a huge mistake. James carried on with his conversation as if nothing were particularly awkward about it at all. Almost as if he was talking about the weather. "Well, I mean... Dani's clearly pretty," James started. _Oh no..._ She could _really_ feel her cheeks turning red. "She's got a nice figure. She's funny... Soft-looking hair. Wide brown eyes." James leaned in closer, taking in her features. Dani could honestly say that at this point she wanted to jump off the carriage. It seemed that her legs were already shaking with anticipation to do it. He smirked. "I don't think her face could get any redder, but other than that she's right up your alley, Sirius. Why haven't you gone after her?"

For the life of her, Dani could not think of a word to say. Not a single word. She had gone completely quiet, but that didn't stop her mind from racing a mile a minute. _Why can't I just crawl up into a ball and die? Oh for Godric's fucking sake, could this night get any worse?_ She thought.

Sirius raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about, James. Dani's different from the rest of those girls. I'd never go after her."

She couldn't help it; a twinge of anger poked at her chest. _What? Is there something wrong with me?_ She thought, however she only rolled her eyes and turned the other way, watching the carriages that followed theirs. She thought about what it might be like to actually _have_ a boyfriend. Sure she had been asked out a few times. She had gone on a few dates, but really it was her who ended it every time. Because guys were pigs, at least when they're young, and she wasn't planning on getting attached anytime soon. But little did she know that those actions that brought to her the title of "heart breaker" among many of the boys at Hogwarts.

"Well, whatever," James concluded. "I'm sure she has a boyfriend anyway. Am I right, Dani?" James looked over at the girl, a curious glint in his eye. Even he had always wondered why the girl had turned down so many dates before. Did she have a boyfriend no one knew about? What was the reason behind her status as the "heart-break girl?"

Dani, having noticed the curious glint in James's expression, chose to ignore it and answered honestly. She shook her head; she had nothing to hide. "Nope. Never."

James's eyebrows shot straight up. She glanced over at Remus, his head tilted slightly and his eyebrows furrowed. Peter's mouth had dropped open and his eyes visibly widened. Even Sirius seemed surprised.

"So you've never even kissed anyone before?" Sirius asked.

Dani felt her face heat up again and visibly cringed. The question surprised her; she didn't think Sirius of all people would really care about her love life. "Nope," she answered, attempting to shrugged it off. "I mean, it's not like it's a big deal or anything. It's just a kiss..."

"Well, I'm sure we can find a way to change that!" James declared, causing the girl to look at him in surprise. "We'll find you a boyfriend no problem, Dani."

Utter disbelief. Honestly, could the guy shut up for one second? She was actually starting to think that either Lily was right about him or he was just really dumb. Probably the latter. But that didn't stop him from making her laugh in disbelief. Dani leaned across Sirius and tapped the chattering James on his leg.

He paused. Finally. "What?"

She blinked at him a few times. "Excuse _you_ , but I don't _need_ a boyfriend; I am perfectly content without one." The carriage fell completely quiet, so the girl continued to speak, "I find it really sexist that you believe that I really need a boyfriend right now. It's _my_ choice." The young witch shrugged again, "To be perfectly blunt, James Potter. You don't know me, so makes you think you can choose what I want?"

Again, more silence. James looked utterly speechless. Really, the boy had never been shut down like that in his life. Not even by Lily Evans. Talk about a reality check.

Remus snorted again. Dani looked over at him; the back of his hand met his mouth, apparently trying to hide his not-so-discreet smile. His green eyes squeezed shut and his shoulders shook with amusement.

"...Wow..."

The girl then glanced over at the source of the noise: Peter. His eyes were wide and watching her with raised eyebrow. She couldn't tell what came over her, but... She laughed. Remus stopped holding in his laughter as well. Eventually the whole carriage was full of laughter. She had tears rolling down her cheeks, leaning on Sirius who happened to be hunched over his knees laughing. James had collapsed onto the floor of the carriage and was rolling around.

Eventually the laughter died down enough for James to ask through his giggles, "So are you coming then, Dan?"

She snapped out of her laughter and glanced at James with a pained expression. "Did you just call me Dan?"

James smirked at the girl and ignored her question, "I'm going to take that as a yes then."

Dani raised an eyebrow inquisitively at James, unaware of the effect that she had on the boys in the carriage. Two in particular.

Sirius watched the way her eyebrow raised softly, almost... tauntingly. He had always been so used to her ways. Her smart mouth and sarcastic one-liners. The way she always pulled that same face; one that clearly displayed her inner fire. She was vibrant. She had... spunk. Yes, that was the word exactly. Spunk. And it seemed that he had never been so enamored with her as he was in that moment. Perhaps it had been James's questioning that had done it, made him think about her in a different way than just a friend. Or maybe he was just crazy?

Meanwhile, Remus was watching the girl from the opposite angle. He watched the way her mouth lifted up at the corner. It was so slight, almost impossible to see. But it added the touch the made her seem so... dynamic. The way her eyes lit up, revealing that bright cognac color. The blush was still ever present on her cheeks; but the way she held herself up and the way she taunted James, it was as if embarrassment was non-existent.

"We always go to get a butterbeer in Hog's Head. Come on it'll be fun!" Sirius prodded lightly, snapping out of his gaze.

Dani could feel uncertainty creep into her chest. _Wouldn't we get caught? And isn't that a bad idea anyway what with the dark wizards on the loose?_ She thought to herself, trying to work out if the odds where good for a positive outcome. "I... um... I don't think I-"

Sirius cut her off, "Don't worry. I won't let anything bad happen to us." He grinned and swung an arm around my shoulders, rubbing my arms slightly. He attempted to make that odd feeling in his chest go away. _Just friends._ He thought to himself. "But you might need to lose the uniform... We'd stick out for sure."

The girl's eyes widened involuntarily. She tried to keep the red from heating up her face. She snapped, "What do you mean? 'Lose the uniform?'" Immediately, Sirius's eyes widened. His usually cool and collected features were tinted pink. James burst out laughing, causing Peter to start giggling as well. Even Remus snorted. But all Dani could do was cringe at her own words. Why would she say that? Honestly? Was her mind that far down the gutter? Jesus Christ.

"What a way with words, Sirius," Remus added, his eyebrows were raised; the corner of his eyes crinkled.

"I-I just mean that you need to lose the tie and the Hogwarts robe," Sirius clarified with an awkward laugh. His hand reached up to scratch the back of his neck.

Dani shook her head and insisted, "No, that's alright, I'll just go back up to the castle."

"No, really!" James butt in. "You should come, it'll be a good time."

The girl rolled her eyes, "No, I'd freeze without a coat." Truly it was freezing cold. The air had the approaching chill of winter. Already, snow was visible on the high mountain tops under the moonlight. The air was crisp and cold like jumping into a lake on a warm day. But that wasn't her real reason for not wanting to go. She didn't think that she could handle blushing profusely one more time that night.

Sirius rolled his eyes and shrugged off his jacket, "Here, wear this."

Before she could object, Sirius had draped his jacket over her shoulders. She looked unsurely at the jacket, contemplating whether or not this was a good decision. But Sirius's eyes were so earnest yet completely calm. Like he knew she was going to do it anyway. Eventually she sighed and took off her robes, slipping into the warm leather. Sirius grinned at her triumphantly.

"Don't look at me like that!" She returned defiantly.

However, he only rolled his eyes and wrapped and arm around her shoulders, "Yeah, yeah Miss Priss."

* * *

Dani could tell that Sirius was freezing by the time the group had made it to Hog's Head, but when she offered him his jacket he refused to take it. _Honestly, if you're going to make a big deal about the temperature then take the jacket back. But nooo._ She thought to herself. "That's not how he works." Nonetheless, it was entertaining to watch "smooth" and "devilish" Sirius Black hop around to stay warm, jumping from foot to foot and nuzzling his face in Dani's curly mess of hair.

When they finally entered the bar, the girl elbowed him away and tossed him his jacket. "Here you go, you big baby," she sighed.

Remus and James lead the group to a table in the corner of the bar, right next to the roaring fire place. A rather cozy area for such a stingy bar. The ceiling was low and showed the wooden rafters that appeared to have plants growing through them in certain places. The table was worn and rustic the chairs tall and teetering, but it was warm and pleasant (very opposite from the cold outside the window).

Dani plopped down in a seat next to Peter, inspecting the vine-like plant that hung above her head. "Now, now, Judy. Is that anyway to speak to the gentleman that lent you his coat?" Sirius finally retorted as his sat down next to her.

She cocked an eyebrow and snorted, "Gentleman? You're funny."

James finally cut into the conversation, a situation that hadn't happened for at least five minute (a new record so far). "Can you two answer me this?" Dani looked up expectantly at James, expecting an actual question by the tone of his voice, but alas, all she received was an oh-so-predictable, "How the hell are you two not married yet?"

She scrunched up her nose, muttering under her breath, "Ew."

"Hey!" Sirius exclaimed, "What's so wrong with me?"

Dani bit her lip before replying. "Besides the fact that you've played every girl you met (besides me)... But hey I'm going to get a drink." At that she left a surprised looking table of boys and wandered off toward the bar to order a butterbeer. She couldn't fathom what James was seeing through his eyes; this is how Sirius and she always were. They joked around and they were close but that's it. That's all there was too it, and that's certainly all there would ever be.

"Hey."

Dani looked to her left to find Remus, a small smirk playing on his lips. She raised my eyebrows and asked, "Are you here to suggest mine and Sirius's romantic life as well?"

Remus laughed, a soft sort of dry sound. Quiet. "No," he returned. "I'm in charge of getting drinks, but Sirius seems pretty distraught about you're choice of words." He winked at the witch, causing her to chuckle. She glanced back over to the table to find Sirius, James, and Peter talking together in a huddle.

It was in this moment that Dani actually noticed how tall Remus was. He stood at least over six feet; however, unlike James or Sirius, he was long and thin. His shoulders were broad and from them hung a baggy maroon sweatshirt. His mossy green eyes were shining with amusement. In the light of the bar, Dani could see the faint scars that ran along his cheeks. White and jagged. She wondered where they came from, but it would have been terribly rude to ask.

"Have you four ever been told you're kind of like a bunch of kids?" Dani asked.

Remus snorted against, "Almost everyday." She raised her eyebrows dryly at his response, however the smile on her lips was real. And Remus couldn't deny how beautiful she looked.

Finally the bartender placed all of their drinks on a platter in front of them. However, Dani was surprised to find just one butterbeer the rest of the drinks consisted of (many) shots, rum, and some glasses of firewhiskey. Her eyebrows shot straight up; She looked over to Remus in surprise. But all she received was a knowing smirk and a shake of the head.

However, Remus wasn't so sure of himself when he picked up the tray. Dani giggled when some of the drinks had spilled over on the tray.

"Here," she stated, handing off her butterbeer to him. "Carry this for me." With natural expertise, she scooped up the tray full of drinks and carried it toward the table.

Remus looked surprised, "Where did you learn to do that?"

She shrugged, whilst setting down the tray. "I worked in a diner all summer long." The table had shifted while she was gone, so she plopped down in between Sirius and Remus.

James leaned across the table and grabbed a small glass of firewhiskey. "Like a muggle diner?" he asked.

Dani nodded, "Yeah, in the town that I live in. It can get pretty busy in there sometimes, so got pretty good at balancing things... It was a nice little diner. Cute."

"Huh," James concluded.

"Well, are we going to drink or what?" Sirius declared. Dani looked over at him, to find his usual smirk playing lightly on his lips. She rolled her eyes.

* * *

Soon enough, all of the boys seemed thoroughly tipsy, Dani however remained as sober as always. She never really cared for drinking, herself. Her grandfather was an alcoholic, and after he died a few years back from alcohol poisoning she never had any interest in alcohol. Not even old age or sickness. Just the whiskey. He also smoked, and she really didn't think that helped his case. But nonetheless, she refused to consume any more than a mug of butterbeer (which in itself had a low alcohol content anyway).

But surely it was entertaining to watch how people behaved when they got drunk. Particularly the marauders.

For probably the fiftieth time that night, she rolled her eyes as Sirius leaned on her. "Dani!" he sang in the girl's ear as he leaned over on her. She crinkled her nose when she got a whiff of his breath and was not-so-pleasantly surprised by the stench of alcohol on his breath. His eyes were droopy and sparkling with the daze of liquor. Still, his natural beauty was just as dazzling as ever.

Maybe Sirius was a little more drunk than she thought.

"God, Sirius. Shut up!" she shushed. "Stop yelling we're inside!"

Peter giggled uncontrollably from the other side of the table, soon joined in by James. Remus hiccuped and grinned, leaning on the table a bit. Dani couldn't help but feel like a babysitter. Jesus, she stopped babysitting when she was fifteen. Back at it again, then.

"Heyyy, Jude! Don't let me down!" Sirius sang, laying his head in Dani's lap.

"Holy fuck, Sirius. You're, like, really drunk."

"I LIKE BEING DRUNK!" he exclaimed, sitting straight up once more. A sigh escaped her lips, loud enough for the boys to hear.

"What's-" James hiccuped. "Wrong, Dan? Are you not enjoying yourself?"

"Not particularly. I _want_ to go, but I'm afraid you four are to drunk to take care of yourselves," she admitted, but it felt like talking to a bunch of four-year-olds.

Remus yawned exaggeratedly, the way a child might. He scratched over his cheek, running his fingers over his scars. "Tired..." he placed his head face down on the table.

"Oh! I have a idea!" Sirius exclaimed. "If we go back will you play Truth or Dare with us?"

Dani cringed, but finally sighed. "If we can leave, then yeah sure."

James and Sirius grinned and jumped up. Peter followed in their steps, still giggling on and on. However, even when Dani stood up Remus didn't budge.

"Remus," she said. However, the was no reply. "Remus!" she groaned.

He whined, "Tired..."

"We're all tired!" The girl snapped. "Come on, get up!"

"No."

Dani looked over at the rest of the boys (who were now waiting by the door) exasperatedly. James shrugged. Sirius was grinning and picking at one of the leaves growing out of the ceiling. And Peter well, he was giggling more, starting to turn a little pink in the face. She huffed. _You're_ _not going to get any help from them. God, I didn't even want to come here!_ She thought to herself.

"Remus!" she yelled in his ear.

He didn't even jump. He didn't even JUMP! God! His only response: "Carry me..."

Taken aback, all the poor witch could do was stare for a second. "Are you fucking kidding me?" she hissed in his ear.

He nodded, tiredly. His eyes were still closed softly an expression of peace rested on his face. Finally, she concluded that this was the only way that we were going to get out of here. Huffing again, she grabbed his arm and swung it around my shoulders. Pulling him off the stool and out of the door. Remus was seeming far less attractive that he had earlier.

And that's when it registered in my mind: "How the HELL, are we going to get into the castle?"

* * *

 **Okay! That's chapter two! I hope you enjoyed! Also was this chapter too long? I was thinking about each chapter being around 4000 to 5000 words. Although the last chapter was only 3000. I don't know, please let me know what you think. :)**


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